Not A Disability

The articles on chemists with disabilities reminded me of when I was a student at Brooklyn Technical High School in the early 1940s (C&EN, July 23, page 36). At the time, passing a test for color blindness was a prerequisite for taking chemistry courses. Fortunately, I passed the test.

Owing to the wartime shortage of workers when I graduated in 1943, I worked as a lab tech until I turned 18 and then entered the Army. The experience of a few months in a lab reinforced my intention to become a chemist, which I kept in mind throughout my military service. Had I failed the color-blindness test, I probably would have followed a different career, and I doubt that I would have enjoyed it as much.

I've never seen a good reason for the color-vision requirement. Perhaps I couldn't have done titrations with certain indicators, but there were options even then. Most likely, the people who established the requirement saw only the problems that a color-blind chemist might encounter instead of seeing the possibilities.

Marvin Margoshes
Hastings on Hudson, N.Y.